Frequently Asked Questions

BPA Live welcomes all enquiries from musicians who may already have an established profile, or with touring experience in the UK. We would like to draw your attention to the following information before contacting us.

What music genres do you deal with?
BPA Live currently represents artistes of a wide range of genres such as Americana, country rock, singer-songwriters, acoustic, roots rock, blues etc.

What are your charges?
The commission fee for booking each tour is 15% of the artiste’s total (gross) performance fees earned on completion of the said tour. This is a contractual and therefore binding and non-negotiable agreement between the artiste and BPA Live. We do not take a commission on merchandise sales. Please note: Commission is payable to BPA Live on all shows in the territory from the date the artiste is accepted onto the BPA Live roster, including any shows booked by the artiste (prior to joining the roster).

How do you accept payment?
Preferably BACS. We can also take payment by PayPal but there will be a surcharge to cover PayPal fees and you need to make specific arrangements with BPA Live about this. We do not accept credit card payments and we no longer take cheques.

Which territories do you book?
Predominantly the UK, but for certain artistes we can book Ireland as well. Can I continue to book my own dates in addition to those being booked by BPA Live? Not in the territories for which we are your agent. It is important that BPA Live retains the exclusive right to book an artiste in the agreed territories. This is necessary in order for us to have the flexibility and license to book a logistically efficient tour with regard to locations and dates, which is also developmental for the artiste’s touring career.

Do you book support gigs?
No. We only book artistes of a calibre equal to being a ‘head-line’ show.

Do you arrange ‘Certificates of Sponsorship’ (formerly known as Work Permits)?
If you hold a valid UK or Irish passport you will not need a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) to work in the UK. For non-UK passport holders, yes you will need a COS. Bob Paterson, director of BPA Live, is a registered sponsor. Please contact Bob about this and the charges involved.

Do you design posters and arrange printing?
Yes, we have close links with design and print companies who can offer this service but we rarely send print out as the world is becoming more and more environmentally friendly and reducing excessive use of paper.

Nowadays, original artwork is predominantly being circulated digitally and on social media. We ask venues and promoters to use whatever original artwork we supply in the promotion of the show to be consistent with the whole tour. We ask you, if you can, to design your own poster or flyer but we do urge you to include the BPA Live logo and website address (www.bpa-live.com) on artwork to enable promoters or fans to contact us regarding your shows/tour. We can refer you to a very affordable designer if you can’t, but you will have to pay for this.

Once a tour is booked, do you send out promotional material directly from your office?
Following on from above, if indeed physical promotional material is requested by a venue, we can. But we will require reimbursement for the cost of postage upon tour completion. If you are signed to a UK based record company, we ask that they are responsible for sending out promotional material (CDs, posters, flyers) as it saves time and money and it also gives them the opportunity to advertise your new album on theposter artwork.

Will I need to hire publicists and radio pluggers?
Yes, this is essential. We can only book tours that are supported by publicists, radio pluggers and online marketing and promotion (especially social media). We have developed long-standing working relationships with a range of people who work in this field, and we can direct you to specific companies and agencies relevant to your genre of music.

Do you arrange advertising?
We can, but this is a cost incurred by the artiste. You should design your own adverts unless you would like us to recommend a designer. We will recommend the most effective magazines in which to advertise your tour. We also expect artistes to advertise and promote shows and tours through their social media feeds as it is more effective than if we were to solely do it through our own page and feeds. If you have any other questions that are not covered here, please contact us. Our contact details are in the contact section of the website.